Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Influence of Fire and Trapping Effort on Ground
Beetles in a Reconstructed Tallgrass Prairie
Kirk J. Larsen and Jason B. Williams
Abstract: The effects of fire on communities of ground beetles
(Coleoptera: Carabidae) were investigated between 9 April and 28 October 1996
in Anderson Prairie, a reconstructed tallgrass prairie in Decorah, Iowa. We
collected ground beetles in pitfall traps from prairie plots burned in the spring
of 1994, 1995, or 1996. We collected a total of 1,772 beetles representing 45
species. Recently burned plots (burned in 1996) had a lower diversity and evenness
of carabid assemblages than plots burned in 1994. However, species richness
was greatest in the most recently burned plots. Short-term sampling, consisting
of three one-week exposures during the peak beetle activity period, yielded
similar abundance, species diversity, and evenness trends to biweekly, full-season
sampling.
Key words: Carabidae, Coleoptera, fire, pitfall traps, tallgrass
prairie.
This resource is based on the following source:
Larsen, Kirk J., and Jason B. Williams. 1999. Influence of fire
and trapping effort on ground beetles in a reconstructed
tallgrass prairie. Prairie Naturalist 31(2):75-86.
This resource should be cited as:
Larsen, Kirk J., and Jason B. Williams. 1999. Influence of fire
and trapping effort on ground beetles in a reconstructed
tallgrass prairie. Prairie Naturalist 31(2):75-86. Jamestown,
ND: Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center Online.
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/insects/firetrap/index.htm
(Version 26APR2002).
Table of Contents
Figures and Tables
- Figure 1 -- Burn unit layout within Anderson
Prairie.
- Figure 2 -- Average total number of ground
beetles collected in pitfall traps.
- Figure 3 -- Species accumulation curves
for ground beetles collected from within each burn treatment in Anderson
Prairie.
- Figure 4 -- Abundance of ground beetles
collected in pitfall traps from treatments in Anderson Prairie.
- Figure 5 -- Species richness of ground
beetles in Anderson Prairie collected by pitfall traps.
- Table 1 -- Total number of ground beetles
collected from three different burn treatments by pitfall traps.
Kirk J. Larsen and Jason B. Williams, Department of Biology,
Luther College, Decorah, IA 52101
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